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The  District  Missionary  Campaign 
Among  Young  People 


WORKERS’  MANUAL 


YOUNG  PEOPLE’S  MISSIONARY  DEPARTMENT 
METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 
BOARD  OF  HOME  MISSIONS  AND  CHURCH  EXTENSION 

150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 


> 

Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


/ 


https://archive.org/details/districtmissionaOOunse 


The  District  Missionary  Campaign 

The  last  General  Conference  provided  for  the  organization 
of  a  District  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  in  each  annual  Con¬ 
ference  district,  to  be  composed  of  the  District  Superintendent, 
the  District  Missionary  Secretary,  the  District  Epworth 
League  President,  one  Sunday  School  Superintendent,  and 
one  lay  member.  Under  the  new  plan  the  Discipline  makes 
the  following  provisions  for  missionary  work  among  young 
people: 

That  each  District  Superintendent  shall  give  special  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  missionary  collection  of  the  Sunday  school.  (Par. 
386,  sect.  1.) 

That  the  District  Missionary  Secretary  shall  cooperate 
with  the  missionary  office  in  the  distinctive  work  of  the 
Young  People’s  Department.  (Par.  385.) 

That  the  Sunday  School  Superintendent  and  the  Epworth 
League  President  shall  be  made  members  of  the  Missionary 
Committee  of  the  local  church.  (Par.  386,  sect.  2.) 

That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Pastor  to  organize  Mission 
Study  Classes  on  his  Charge  where  practicable.  (Par.  387, 
sect.  6.) 

This  generous  recognition  of  the  value  of  missionary  edu¬ 
cation  among  young  people,  and  this  ample  provision  for  a 
district  organization  to  push  the  work,  demands  renewed 
energy  and  a  more  aggressive  campaign. 

There  need  be  no  embarrassment  over  the  fact  that  the 
District  Second  Vice-President  of  the  Epworth  League  is  not 
a  member  of  the  District  Board.  Every  District  Board  will 
be  glad  to  have  the  cooperation  of  an  efficient  District  Second 
Vice-President.  He  will  be  included  in  the  councils  of  the 
Board  when  mission  study  is  to  be  discussed  and  will  always 
be  represented  by  the  District  President.  Neither  need  there 
be  any  difficulty  over  the  fact  that  this  Board  is  a  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions.  There  is  a  complete  understanding  be¬ 
tween  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  and  the  Board  of  Home 
Missions  and  Church  Extension  whereby  not  only  the  Secre- 

3 


taries  of  the  Young  People’s  Missionary  Department,  but 
also  the  Secretaries  of  both  Boards,  shall  present  the  work 
to  the  young  people  of  the  Sunday  school  and  Epworth 
League  without  distinction  between  Home  and  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sions,  allowing  the  young  people  to  choose  whatever  courses 
they  desire.  The  District  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  is  there¬ 
fore  expected  to  push  the  work  of  the  Young  People’s 
Department. 

The  district  organization  is  strategic  because  the  district 
is  the  unit  in  Methodism.  It  is  comparatively  small  in  size, 
making  possible  an  aggressive,  intensive  campaign.  When¬ 
ever  marked  success  has  been  attained  in  mission  study  it 
has,  as  a  rule,  been  the  result  of  a  well-organized  campaign 
by  district  workers. 


The  First  Essential 

The  first  essential  in  such  a  campaign  is  one  or  more  per¬ 
sons  who  have  come  closely  in  touch  with  the  latest  methods 
in  missionary  education  and  who  are  on  fire  to  accomplish 
large  results.  The  institutes  of  the  Epworth  League  and  the 
summer  Conferences  of  the  Young  People’s  Missionary 
Movement  are  places  where  such  workers  are  trained.  Here 
assemble  the  leaders  in  young  people’s  work,  and  for  a  week 
or  ten  days  they  consider  practical  plans  for  the  promotion 
of  missionary  education  and  receive  actual  training  in  mission 
study  classes.  The  advantages  of  attendance  upon  such  a 
Conference  are  obvious,  not  only  in  the  acquirement  of 
knowledge,  but  in  a  deepened  spiritual  life  and  an  enlarged 
vision.  One  of  the  most  important  things,  therefore,  that 
the  District  Board  can  do  the  first  year  is  to  make  provision 
for  a  delegation  to  attend  one  of  the  summer  Conferences. 
Indeed,  every  member  of  the  Board  ought  to  attend  such  a 
Conference.  This  may  not  be  possible  the  first  year,  but  it 
ought  to  be  an  aim  which  should  be  realized  as  soon  as  pos¬ 
sible.  One  or  two  delegates  should  be  sent  the  first  year, 
taking  care  to  choose  those  with  capacity  for  leadership. 
The  delegates’  expenses  may  be  provided  by  one  of  the  dis¬ 
trict  organizations,  or  by  the  local  church  to  which  the  del¬ 
egates  belong,  or  by  the  delegates  themselves.  In  some  cases 
it  may  be  desirable  to  divide  the  expense  between  the  dis¬ 
trict  organization,  the  local  church,  and  the  delegates.  This 

4 


would  lighten  the  burden  of  expense  and  enable  all  to  have  a 
share  in  the  more  effective  work  of  the  delegates  after  their 
return. 


Manual  of  Methods 

Whether  attendance  upon  one  of  these  Conferences  is 
possible  or  not,  a  district  worker  should  have  in  his  possession 
the  best  books  on  missionary  methods.  The  following  will 


be  found  valuable: 

Effective  Missionary  Methods.  Cooper . $  .25 

Holding  the  Ropes.  Brain .  1.00 

Missions  in  the  Sunday  School.  Hixson.  Cloth, ...  .50 

Paper . .  . .  . 35 

The  Missionary  Meeting  in  a  Young  People’s  Society.  .  .10 

The  Mission  Study  Class  Manual .  Free 

Enlisting  the  Young  People  for  Mission  Study .  Free 

Mission  Study:  Its  Value  and  Power .  Free 


The  district  worker  should  also  be  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  mission  study  text  books  and  helps,  especially  those 
prepared  for  the  current  year,  and  if  possible  he  should  have 
access  to  the  mission  study  reference  libraries,  which  are 
prepared  to  accompany  each  of  the  text  books. 

The  District  Board 

The  District  Board  is  required  to  have  at  least  one  meeting 
during  the  year.  At  the  annual  meeting  a  comprehensive 
campaign  should  be  planned  for  the  year,  which  should  in¬ 
clude  ample  provision  for  the  promotion  of  mission  study 
and  missionary  education  in  the  Sunday  school.  The  Board 
should  decide  to  adopt  as  many  of  the  plans  suggested  in  this 
leaflet  as  seem  advisable  and  should  lay  out  a  plan  for  a 
number  of  years.  Some  of  the  best  methods,  such  as  summer 
institutes  and  large  conventions,  should  be  considered  a  year 
or  more  in  advance.  It  will  be  found  advisable  to  set  a 
standard  and  work  toward  it.  A  letter  from  a  District 
Second  Vice-President  says: 

“I  am  assigned  a  new  task — and  a  hard  one — for  we  have 
set  as  the  District  Motto  for  our  twenty-nine  Leagues,  ‘A 
Mission  Study  Class  in  every  League — fifty  classes  on  the 
District.’  It  seems  a  small  thing,  but  will  mean  an  increase 
of  100  per  cent  if  we  can  accomplish  it.  The  second  half  of 

5 


the  Motto,  however,  will  be  easier  to  bring  to  pass  than  the 
first.” 

During  1906-07  only  six  classes  were  reported  from  this 
district.  In  1907-08,  as  a  result  of  a  normal  class  campaign, 
twenty-two  classes  were  reported.  It  takes  faith  to  attempt 
an  increase  of  100  per  cent  after  such  a  record,  but  it  is  a 
good  thing  to  hitch  your  mission  study  wagon  to  a  star. 

Rotation  in  Office 

One  great  difficulty  in  developing  district  missionary 
work  is  due  to  the  frequent  changes  in  district  officers.  In 
some  cases  the  constitution  of  the  organization  requires 
that  changes  be  frequently  made.  While  this  may  be  wise 
as  a  general  plan,  it  is  certainly  very  detrimental  in  an  effec¬ 
tive  missionary  campaign  to  have  the  officers  change  just  as 
they  become  effective  in  the  promotion  of  their  work.  When 
efficient,  the  District  Second  Vice-President  and  the  District 
Missionary  Secretary  should  be  retained  until  efficient  suc¬ 
cessors  can  be  trained  to  take  up  the  work  without  seriously 
affecting  the  important  interests  that  are  involved. 

Letter  Writing 

Correspondence  is  one  of  the  most  important  and  at  the 
same  time  the  most  disappointing  methods  of  work  which  a 
district  officer  can  undertake.  Most  district  officers  com¬ 
plain,  and  rightly  so,  that  they  cannot  get  replies  from  local 
officers,  but  correspondence  is  more  effective  than  is  usually 
realized.  Even  if  letters  are  not  answered,  a  series  of  un¬ 
complaining  but  inspirational  appeals  for  the  prosecution 
of  the  work,  with  hints  and  suggestions  of  what  has  been 
done  by  other  chapters,  a  clear  statement  of  the  policy  for 
the  year  and  the  aim  of  the  district  organization,  together 
with  suggestions  regarding  available  literature  and  possibly 
samples  of  the  same,  will  bring  encouragement  and  hope  to 
local  workers  and  in  many  cases  great  results.  A  letter  of 
this  kind  is  far  more  valuable  than  one  from  a  general  office, 
such  as  that  of  the  Young  People’s  Department,  although 
the  latter  is  helpful.  The  ideal  is  to  have  correspondence 
conducted  from  both  sources,  as  the  one  will  greatly  supple¬ 
ment  the  other. 

The  Young  People’s  Department  will  gladly  furnish  litera¬ 
ture  and  enrolment  cards,  for  inclosure  in  such  letters. 


6 


Personal  Visitation 


There  is  no  suggestion  made  in  this  leaflet  which  will 
bring  larger  results  in  the  promotion  of  effective  plans  for 
missionary  education  than  the  actual  visitation  of  each 
church  on  the  district.  It  is  realized  that  this  is  a  large  task, 
but  if  the  District  Board  will  plan  carefully  for  such  personal 
visitation  it  will  be  found  possible  in  a  great  many  cases. 
At  least  a  whole  day  ought  to  be  devoted  to  a  visit  of  this 
kind,  especially  if  the  work  in  the  Epworth  League  and 
Sunday  school  is  to  be  covered.  The  purpose  and  plan  of 
the  visit  should  be  fully  explained  in  advance  and  as  many 
of  the  details  arranged  by  correspondence  as  possible.  Give 
special  attention  to  plans  for  the  afternoon  conference  so 
that  as  many  officers  as  possible  will  be  present. 

Conference  on  Mission  Study 

If  mission  study  is  to  be  presented,  the  following  plan  for 
the  day  may  be  used: 

First:  Call  upon  the  pastor  and  secure  his  cooperation. 
Explain  your  plans  to  him  as  fully  as  may  be  necessary  to 
enlist  his  fullest  sympathy. 

Second:  Hold  a  conference  with  the  local  cabinet,  or  if 
this  is  not  possible,  with  the  President  and  Second  Vice- 
President.  The  following  general  outline  is  suggested  for 
this  discussion: 

I.  Why  study  missions? 

1.  An  essential  part  of  the  business  of  the  church. 

2.  Too  large  an  enterprise  to  be  understood  without 

study. 

3.  Arouses  a  permanent  interest  in  missions. 

4.  A  factor  in  current  history. 

5.  A  factor  in  the  development  of  Christian  char¬ 

acter. 

6.  Develops  leadership. 

7.  Is  intensely  interesting. 

8.  Will  help  secure  adequate  financial  resources. 

II.  What  is  a  mission  study  class? 

1.  An  informal  group. 

2.  Not  a  new  organization. 

3.  Not  a  weekly  lecture. 

7 


III.  How  organize  a  class. 

1.  Talk  it  up  among  your  friends. 

2.  Present  the  subject  to  the  entire  chapter. 

a.  At  regular  devotional  meeting. 

b.  At  regular  business  meeting. 

c.  At  special  meeting  or  social. 

3.  Follow  public  presentations  by  personal  work. 

IV.  The  class  sessions. 

1.  How  frequent. 

a.  Weekly. 

b.  Bi-weekly. 

c.  Monthly. 

2.  Where  held. 

a.  In  home  of  a  member. 

b.  In  different  homes. 

c.  In  church  parlor. 

V.  The  group  plan. 

1.  Advantages. 

2.  Urge  its  adoption  if  one  class  has  been  organized 

in  previous  years. 

VI.  The  selection  of  leaders.  (See  “Mission  Study  Class 
Manual.”) 

VII.  Best  Text  Book  to  adopt.  (See  “Mission  Study  An¬ 
nouncement.”) 

VIII.  Available  helps.  (See  “Mission  Study  Announcement.”) 

IX.  Check  up  all  plans  for  evening  rally  and  see  that  all 
necessary  arrangements  are  made. 

Third:  Have  an  evening  rally  for  the  entire  church  mem¬ 
bership.  Present  mission  study  in  a  popular  address,  dwelling 
on  its  value  and  interest,  the  special  object  being  to  enroll 
as  many  people  as  possible  in  mission  study  classes. 

Present  the  results  of  the  afternoon  conference,  explaining 
the  number  of  classes  to  be  formed,  the  courses  to  be  studied, 
and  the  time  required. 

Pass  cards  and  secure  the  names  and  addresses  of  all  who 
will  join  a  class,  providing  a  suitable  night  can  be  agreed 
upon. 

Fourth:  Meet  all  those  who  have  enrolled,  after  the  con¬ 
gregation  has  been  dismissed,  in  order  to  accomplish  the 
following: 

a.  The  division  into  groups  if  more  than  one  class  is  to 
be  organized. 


8 


b.  The  selection  of  leaders,  if  that  has  not  already  been 

done. 

c.  Determine  the  time  and  place  of  meeting  and  fre¬ 

quency  of  the  sessions. 

d.  Choose  the  text  book  for  each  group. 

e.  Secure  an  order  for  a  text  book  from  each  individual 

who  is  a  member  of  the  class. 

/.  Determine  what  libraries,  maps,  charts,  etc.,  are  to 

be  secured. 

It  is  extremely  important  to  settle  upon  these  points  at 
the  close  of  the  general  address,  while  the  district  workers 
are  present.  There  is  a  great  peril  in  delay  at  this  time. 
The  mission  study  class  should  begin  its  work  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment,  for  every  day’s  delay  means  a  decrease 
in  the  interest. 

This  may  seem  like  a  long  program  for  an  after  meeting, 
but  it  is  essential  to  the  best  results.  The  length  of  the  more 
public  meeting  should  be  governed  by  the  fact  that  there  is 
to  be  such  a  second  meeting,  and  no  efforts  should  be  spared 
to  tie  up  the  results  of  the  first  meeting  in  this  practical  and 
conclusive  way. 

Fifth:  Fill  out  an  enrolment  card  for  each  class  or  group 
and  mail  the  same  to  the  Young  People’s  Missionary  Depart¬ 
ment,  150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  city.  Send  to  this  ad¬ 
dress  also  all  orders  for  libraries,  maps,  charts,  and  Sunday 
school  supplies,  and  send  all  orders  for  text  books  to  the 
nearest  depository  of  the  Book  Concern.  (See  Announcement 
for  prices.)  If  the  district  worker  fills  out  and  sends  in  the 
enrolment  card  himself,  explaining,  however,  the  card  and 
its  significance  to  the  local  worker,  he  will  be  sure  that  the 
leader  is  in  touch  with  the  Department  and  that  the  helps 
will  be  forwarded  at  once. 

Conference  on  Missions  in  the  Sunday  School 

If  educational  work  in  the  Sunday  school  is  to  be  presented 
the  following  plan  may  be  used : 

First :  Secure  the  cooperation  of  the  pastor. 

Second:  Hold  a  conference  with  the  Board  of  Managers  of 
the  Sunday  School  Missionary  Society  or  the  officers  and 
teachers  of  the  Sunday  school,  discussing  some  of  the  follow¬ 
ing  points: 


9 


I.  The  purpose  of  the  Sunday  school. 

1.  The  conversion  of  the  child. 

2.  The  development  of  his  Christian  character. 

3.  His  training  for  Christian  service. 

II.  Methods  used  to  accomplish  this  purpose. 

1.  Bible  study. 

2.  Temperance  lessons. 

3.  Mission  study. 

III.  How  will  mission  study  contribute  to  this  purpose? 

1.  Make  clear  the  purpose  of  the  Church. 

2.  Bring  the  influence  of  the  great  lives  of  the 

Church  to  bear  upon  the  life  of  the  child. 

3.  Develop  the  heroic  element  in  the  religious  life, 

a  valuable  point  in  holding  boys. 

4.  Present  the  great  Church  problems  of  today. 

IV.  How  present  missions  in  the  Sunday  school  ? 

1.  Graded  instruction  by  classes. 

2.  Instruction  from  the  desk. 

3.  Prayer  and  missions. 

4.  The  missionary  offering. 

5.  Training  of  teachers.  (See  “  Sunday  School  An¬ 

nouncement  ”  and  leaflet  entitled,  “The  Sun¬ 
day  School  and  Missions  ”  and  the  Sunday 
School  Manual,  secured  from  the  Young  Peo¬ 
ple’s  Department.) 

Third:  Have  a.11  evening  rally,  with  an  address  by  the 
district  officer.  The  value  of  missionary  education  in  the 
Sunday  school  would  be  an  appropriate  address  for  such  a 
rally,  the  special  object  being  to  get  the  church,  as  a  whole, 
behind  the  proposition. 

Fourth:  Meet  the  officers  and  teachers  of  the  Sunday  school 
to  decide  on  some  definite  plans  for  missionary  education  in 
the  school.  If  classes  are  organized  for  mission  study  send 
in  an  enrolment  card,  and  secure  books,  libraries,  helps, 
etc.,  as  suggested  above. 

If  the  purpose  of  the  visit  is  to  introduce  educational  work 
in  both  the  Sunday  school  and  Epworth  League  it  would  be 
necessary  to  plan  a  meeting  with  each  organization,  and 
possibly  more  than  one  day’s  time  will  be  necessary  to  ac¬ 
complish  this  object.  When  both  features  of  the  work  are 
to  be  considered  it  would  be  well  for  two  district  officers  to 
visit  the  church  at  the  same  time.  For  illustration,  a  District 

10 


Epworth  League  officer,  who  will  give  special  attention  to 
mission  study  in  the  Epworth  League,  and  the  District  Mis¬ 
sionary  Secretary,  who  will  look  after  the  missionary  interests 
of  the  Sunday  school.  In  event  of  such  a  visit,  the  Epworth 
League  and  Sunday  school  could  unite  with  the  pastor  in 
holding  a  great  Missionary  Rally  Day  for  the  church. 

Group  Rallies 

Many  districts  are  or  may  be  divided  into  groups  in  such 
a  way  that  members  may  gather  in  large  numbers  once  a 
quarter  or  once  in  two  months  for  mass  meetings.  A  healthy 
rivalry  between  the  chapters  to  see  which  will  have  the  largest 
attendance  often  results  in  a  big  gathering.  These  rallies  may 
very  properly  be  utilized  at  least  once  a  year  for  the  presenta¬ 
tion  of  some  phase  of  the  work  of  the  Second  Department. 
Utilizing  such  rallies  is  especially  desirable  when  the  plan 
for  personal  visits  to  the  chapters  is  impracticable.  If  the 
afternoon  preceding  this  evening  rally  could  be  used  for  a 
conference  with  the  local  cabinets  of  the  various  leagues  in 
the  group  the  rally  might  be  especially  fruitful.  This  con¬ 
ference  would  be  similar  in  character  to  the  conference  held 
in  the  local  churches  when  personal  visits  are  made  except 
that  more  than  one  cabinet  would  be  present.  If  all  the 
cabinets  could  not  be  present  it  might  be  possible  to  have 
the  Presidents  and  Second  Vice-Presidents,  or  even  the 
Second  Vice-Presidents  alone. 

The  address  in  the  evening  should  have  the  same  aim  as 
suggested  above  for  the  local  church  visit,  and  the  same  plan 
for  securing  members  for  mission  study  classes  should  be 
followed.  The  names  of  the  persons  who  are  willing  to  join 
a  class  should  be  handed  to  the  Second  Vice-President  of  the 
chapter  to  which  they  belong,  and  these  will  form  the  mem¬ 
bership  of  the  class  in  that  church,  or  at  least  the  nucleus 
for  such  a  class.  These  members  should  assemble  in  groups 
for  a  few  moments  to  decide  when  their  organization  meeting 
at  home  will  be  held  and  also  make  plans  for  enlisting  other 
members  of  their  chapter  in  the  class.  They  should  carry 
home  the  enthusiasm  of  the  rally  and  impart  it  to  others. 
The  district  officer  should  send  the  names  and  addresses  of 
all  Second  Vice-Presidents  or  other  persons  who  are  respon¬ 
sible  for  organizing  the  local  classes  to  the  Young  People’s 
Department,  150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  city. 

11 


When  such  group  rallies  are  not  held  regularly  by  the  dis¬ 
trict  organization,  or  when  it  is  desirable  to  discuss  the  work 
in  the  Sunday  school,  it  will  be  necessary  to  organize  special 
rallies  and  conferences  for  this  purpose.  This  should  certainly 
be  done  in  connection  with  the  Sunday  school  work,  making 
a  special  effort  to  get  all  the  Sunday  school  officers  and 
teachers  present. 

District  Missionary  Institutes 

A  very  effective  method  for  the  promotion  of  missionary 
education  is  the  organization  of  a  special  district  missionary 
institute  lasting  two  days  if  possible,  during  which  time 
there  will  be  a  very  thorough  discussion  of  plans  and  methods 
for  missionary  work  in  young  people’s  societies  and  Sunday 
schools.  The  plan  of  such  an  institute  can  be  most  easily 
explained  by  the  presentation  here  of  a  suggested  program: 


FIRST  DAY 


IO.  30  A.  M. 
IO.  45  A.  M. 


11.  30  A.  M. 

12.  15  P.  M. 
2.  OO  P.  M. 


Opening  Exercises. 

Explanation  of  the  purpose  of  the  institute,  to¬ 
gether  with  an  outline  of  the  plan.  A  state¬ 
ment  of  the  number  of  mission  study  classes 
that  are  to  be  conducted,  with  an  explanation 
of  the  senior  and  junior  books  that  are  to  be 
taught.  The  passing  of  slips  to  learn  which 
classes  the  delegates  wish  to  attend,  and  a 
meeting,  for  a  few  minutes,  of  each  class 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  acquainted  and 
assigning  the  lessons  for  the  first  session. 

Inspirational  Address. 

Adjournment. 

Mission  study  classes.  There  may  be  as  many 
mission  study  classes  as  the  program  com¬ 
mittee  deems  wise.  The  subjects  covered 
ought  to  be  the  current  home  and  foreign 
mission  study  text  books,  unless  there  is 
some  special  reason  for  using  one  of  the 
books  previously  prepared.  If  a  large  at¬ 
tendance  is  expected  at  the  institute  it  would 
be  well  to  have  more  than  one  class  in  each 
subject.  There  should  also  be  a  class  for 

12 


3.  oo  p.  M. 

4.  OQ  P.  M. 
4.  45  P.  M. 
8.  OO  P.  M. 


teachers  in  the  Sunday  school  who  wish  to 
use  mission  study  in  connection  with  the 
regular  class  work,  these  classes  taking  up 
such  books  as  Uganda’s  White  Man  of  Work 
and  Servants  of  the  King.  All  the  classes 
should  be  normal  in  character,  the  aim  of  the 
teachers  being  to  fit  the  members  for  leader¬ 
ship  at  home.  The  teachers  of  these  classes 
will  be  as  far  as  possible  those  who  have  been 
successful  leaders  of  classes  in  their  local 
churches.  It  will  not  be  wise  for  the  leader 
to  attempt  to  cover  more  than  three  chapters 
of  the  text  book  at  this  institute.  This  will 
be  sufficient  to  explain  the  plans  and  methods 
of  mission  study.  The  greatest  difficulty  to 
be  encountered  will  be  lack  of  time  for 
thorough  preparation,  but  if  possible  the 
members  of  the  classes  ought  at  least  to  read 
the  chapter  before  attending  the  sessions  of 
the  class. 

Conference,  “Why  and  How  Introduce  Mission¬ 
ary  Education  in  the  Sunday  School.” 

Address. 

Adjournment. 

Address. 


SECOND  DAY 


9.  OO  A.  M. 
IO.  OO  A.  M. 


10. 

11. 

12. 
2. 


45  A.  M. 
30  A.  M. 
15  P.  M. 
OO  P.  M. 


Second  session  of  mission  study  classes. 
Conference,  “Missionary  Meetings  in  the  Ep- 
worth  League.” 

Conference,  “Christian  Stewardship.” 

Address. 

Adjournment. 

Third  and  final  session  of  the  mission  study 
classes. 

Conferences,  “Missions  in  the  Sunday  School,” 
“Available  Material,  How  it  may  be  Used,” 
etc. 

Address. 

Closing  Address. 

This  is  merely  a  suggested  program.  It  will  be  necessary 
to  vary  many  portions  to  suit  local  circumstances.  The  time 

13 


3.  OO  P.  M. 


4.  OO  P.  M. 
8.  OO  P.  M. 


of  beginning,  for  example,  will  be  governed  by  the  train 
schedule,  as  will  be  the  time  of  closing.  It  is  earnestly  urged, 
however,  that  no  more  discussions  be  attempted  than  the 
ones  proposed.  Experience  goes  to  show  that  a  crowded 
program  is  very  likely  to  be  a  failure.  Moreover,  the  dele¬ 
gates  need  time  to  read  the  mission  study  lessons.  Persons 
who  conduct  missionary  institutes  of  this  character  should, 
if  possible,  attend  the  summer  Conferences,  as  suggested  on 
page  4  of  this  leaflet,  and  teachers  of  the  mission  study 
classes  will  find  such  attendance  the  best  possible  way  to 
prepare  for  their  work. 

The  Young  People’s  Missionary  Department  invites  corre¬ 
spondence  from  anyone  who  plans  such  a  program  or  any¬ 
one  who  is  to  conduct  one  of  the  conferences  or  lead  one  of 
the  classes.  A  special  missionary  institute  of  this  character 
cannot  be  worked  up  in  a  week  or  in  a  month.  It  needs  very 
careful  planning  and  preparation.  District  Boards,  as  has 
already  been  suggested,  will  constantly  be  planning  for  the 
future  and  this  may  well  be  a  part  of  a  campaign  covering 
two  or  three  years,  and  definite  plans  should  be  made  months 
in  advance.  If  possible,  it  would  be  wise  to  secure  a  special 
missionary  worker  to  be  present  during  the  entire  institute, 
who  will  lead  the  discussions  indicated,  have  general  charge 
of  the  mission  study  classes,  and  possibly  give  one  or  two 
of  the  general  addresses.  The  Young  People’s  Department 
will  gladly  do  anything  in  its  power  to  cooperate  with  a  dis¬ 
trict  that  wishes  to  promote  missionary  educational  work 
in  such  an  aggressive  manner,  and  urgently  solicits  corre¬ 
spondence  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  such  a  plan  in  mind. 

The  expense  of  the  institute  is  a  feature  that  should  be 
carefully  considered.  That  may  be  met  by  an  appropriation 
of  the  district  treasury,  by  a  small  registration  fee  of  50  cents 
or  $1.00  from  each  regular  delegate,  by  collections  at  the 
evening  addresses,  etc.  In  the  conduct  of  such  institutes  if 
is  usually  very  wise  to  secure  a  guarantee  fund,  asking  ten 
laymen,  for  example,  in  the  district  to  promise  $10.00  each 
or  such  a  proportion  thereof  as  may  be  necessary  to  pay  all 
the  bills  of  the  institute.  When  the  final  adjustment  is  made 
it  may  be  necessary  to  call  upon  these  guarantors  for  only 
part  of  their  pledge,  or  possibly  none  at  all.  If  the  various 
districts  of  an  Annual  Conference  would  plan  such  institutes 
consecutively  so  that  the  same  field  secretary,  if  one  is  se- 

14 


cured,  and  possibly  the  mission  study  class  leaders  and 
speakers  could  go  from  one  district  institute  to  another, 
the  expense  could  be  shared  and  would  not  be  great.  This 
might  even  make  possible  the  securing  of  a  field  secretary 
and  a  home  or  foreign  missionary.  If  all  the  districts  could 
not  combine  in  such  a  campaign  it  might  be  possible  for  two 
or  more  to  do  so.  Workers  from  outside  the  bounds  of  the 
district  are  not  essential  to  success,  and  plans  for  such  an 
institute  should  not  be  abandoned  because  they  cannot  be 
secured.  This  will  be  especially  true  if  district  workers  have 
attended  one  of  the  summer  Conferences.  Money  spent  in 
sending  delegates  to  a  Conference  would  bring  greater  results 
than  if  spent  in  paying  the  expense  of  a  field  secretary  or 
some  other  worker  from  abroad,  as  the  delegate  remains  and 
his  inspiration  and  knowledge  will  be  a  permanent  asset, 
whereas  the  foreign  worker  would  soon  be  gone. 

Conventions 

The  regular  annual  or  semi-annual  convention  of  the 
District  Epworth  League  may  be  utilized  effectively  in  pro¬ 
moting  the  missionary  educational  campaign.  To  utilize 
this  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  plans  before  the  district 
program  is  built,  so  that  the  missionary  work  may  be  taken 
into  consideration.  For  example,  in  a  two-day  convention 
it  would  be  perfectly  possible  to  have  mission  study  classes 
on  the  same  plan,  if  not  at  the  same  hours,  as  they  appear  in 
the  suggestive  program  given  on  page  12.  During  other 
hours  of  the  convention  other  phases  of  Epworth  League 
work  could  be  considered.  The  amount  of  time  given  to 
missions  on  the  program  will  be  determined  by  the  emphasis 
which  the  district  officers  wish  to  place  upon  this  subject. 
In  a  great  many  districts  it  is  being  found  advisable  to  make 
the  work  of  some  one  department  of  the  League  the  major 
of  the  convention.  It  will,  of  course,  not  always  be  the  same 
department,  but  there  is  no  better  department  with  which 
to  try  this  plan  than  the  Second. 

District  Conferences 

The  regular  annual  or  semi-annual  district  Conference, 
which  is  in  charge  of  the  District  Superintendent,  offers  a 
very  effective  means  of  promoting  this  educational  work  in 
the  district.  This  is  probably  the  very  best  opportunity  to 

15 


present  this  entire  plan  to  the  pastors,  so  that  they  may 
have  a  very  thorough  discussion  of  its  importance  and  methods 
for  its  promotion.  In  a  number  of  district  Conferences  this 
plan  has  been  tried  with  great  success,  the  District  Superin¬ 
tendent  condensing  the  regular  business  of  the  Conference 
into  as  small  a  compass  as  possible,  and  putting  it  at  the 
opening  of  the  Conference  so  that  it  will  be  out  of  the  way, 
and  then  taking  up  in  earnest  a  discussion  of  the  plans  involved. 
A  program  very  similar  to  that  suggested  under  the  heading 
of  “District  Missionary  Institutes”  could  be  used  in  this 
connection. 

Conference  and  State  Institutes  or  Summer 

Conferences 

In  a  number  of  cases  Conference  and  State  Epworth  League 
organizations  have  held  larger  Conferences  for  special  training 
patterned  after  the  summer  Conferences  of  the  Young  Peo¬ 
ple’s  Missionary  Movement.  Such  Conferences  have  been 
held  by  the  Michigan  and  Illinois  State  Epworth  Leagues  and 
by  the  Newark,  Pittsburg,  and  Troy  Conferences.  These 
State  and  Conference  Institutes  have  been  a  week  or  ten 
days  in  duration  and  have  covered  very  thoroughly  the 
various  phases  of  missionary  work.  The  results  have  been 
large  in  every  case  and  the  effort  has  been  well  worth  while. 
Where  such  institutes  or  Conferences  are  contemplated 
it  would  be  well  to  take  up  the  matter  carefully  by 
correspondence. 

Literature  and  Exhibits 

As  far  as  practicable  there  ought  to  be  presented,  in  con¬ 
nection  with  every  institute,  rally,  or  convention,  an  exhibit 
of  text  books,  libraries,  helps,  maps,  the  general  leaflet  and 
booklet  literature  of  the  Home  and  Foreign  Boards,  and  the 
work  of  mission  study  classes  such  as  maps  and  charts  made 
in  connection  with  their  study.  Where  institutes  are  to 
be  held  it  will  be  absolutely  necessary  to  have  text  books  on 
sale,  and  it  would  be  helpful  if  a  small  quantity  could  be 
taken  to  rallies  and  on  personal  visits.  Arrangements  for 
text  books  may  be  made  with  the  nearest  depository  of  the 
Book  Concern.  Exhibits  suitable  for  these  purposes,  mounted 
on  frames,  will  be  furnished  by  the  Young  People’s  Depart¬ 
ment,  the  districts  to  pay  transportation  charges  both  ways. 

16 


Libraries  will  be  sold  to  district  workers  for  institute  use 
only,  with  the  privilege  of  returning  if  not  sold  to  some  local 
class,  providing  the  express  is  paid  both  ways  and  the  books 
returned  promptly  and  in  good  condition.  Mission  study 
announcements  and  enrolment  cards  will  be  furnished  free 
in  reasonable  quantities,  sent  express  collect.  The  Depart¬ 
ment  will  also  gladly  furnish  information  cards  which  may 
be  used  in  institutes  in  securing  registration  for  the  various 
classes,  this  information  to  be  sent  to  the  Department  at  the 
close  of  the  institute.  Correspondence  will  be  opened  with 
those  who  have  been  in  classes  with  a  view  of  encouraging 
them  to  organize  classes  in  their  local  churches. 

The  City  Campaign 

The  educational  campaign  in  the  city  deserves  special 
mention.  Many  of  the  suggestions  which  have  been  made 
above  can  be  applied  to  this  work  in  the  cities.  Institutes, 
for  example,  can  be  planned  and  conducted  very  successfully 
either  on  a  denominational  or  interdenominational  basis. 
Such  institutes  have  been  held  in  very  large  numbers  and 
with  considerable  success.  A  special  leaflet  has  been  pre¬ 
pared,  called  “The  Missionary  Institute — Essentials  in 
Preparation  and  Conduct,”  which  will  gladly  be  furnished 
upon  request. 

An  aggressive  normal  mission  study  class  campaign  will 
be  found  especially  practicable  in  the  city.  Take  a  city,  for 
example,  which  contains  a  dozen  Methodist  churches,  and 
let  the  district  worker  or  the  city  worker  organize  a  normal 
mission  study  class  composed  of  one  person  from  each  of 
these  churches,  who  in  turn  will  be  the  leader  of  a  class  or 
classes  in  his  local  church.  In  a  larger  city  two  normal  classes 
could  be  organized,  possibly  one  in  home  and  one  in  foreign 
missions,  and  in  still  larger  cities  even  more  normal  classes 
might  well  be  formed.  In  some  of  our  larger  cities  it  has 
been  found  advisable  to  have  a  central  normal  class  for 
leaders  of  district  normal  classes.  As  an  example,  one  large 
city  was  divided  into  three  mission  study  districts;  in  each 
of  these  districts  four  normal  mission  study  classes  were 
organized,  two  in  home  and  two  in  foreign  missions,  the 
classes,  of  course,  being  located  at  convenient  centers  in 
the  various  districts.  These  leaders  of  district  normal  classes 
met  in  two  sections  of  the  central  normal  class,  one  foreign 

17 


and  the  other  home,  and  were  prepared  for  their  work  by  a 
specialist  in  mission  study.  The  members  of  the  district 
normal  classes  in  turn  led  mission  study  classes  in  their 
local  churches,  with  the  result  that  the  mission  study  enrol¬ 
ment  in  that  city  was  increased  by  146  per  cent.  This  does 
not  necessarily  mean  that  the  cooperation  of  every  local 
church  can  be  secured,  but  that  is  the  ideal,  and  so  far  as 
possible  that  ideal  should  be  attained. 

The  normal  mission  study  class  should  be  organized  early 
in  the  fall.  The  classes  in  the  local  churches  may  be  started 
at  the  close  of  the  normal  class  or  three  or  four  weeks  after 
the  beginning  of  the  normal  class.  If  the  normal  class,  for 
example,  is  organized  the  first  of  September,  then  the  local 
classes  might  be  organized  the  first  of  October,  and  they 
would  complete  the  work  before  the  Christmas  holidays. 
This  would  mean  that  the  leaders  of  the  classes  would  have 
two  sessions  a  week  for  about  four  weeks.  If  they  could 
possibly  accomplish  this  they  would  find  it  very  advantageous, 
as  the  normal  class  would  afford  them  the  opportunity  of 
coming  together  and  discussing  their  mutual  problems  while 
they  are  actually  teaching  their  classes.  They  would  be 
better  able  to  ask  intelligent  questions  and  enter  into  an 
intelligent  discussion. 

In  Rural  Districts 

A  majority  of  the  topics  discussed  in  this  leaflet  relate  to 
the  work  in  the  country  as  well  as  in  the  city.  District 
institutes  and  rallies  should  reach  country  chapters.  A  num¬ 
ber  of  workers  in  rural  districts  were  asked  to  give  us  the 
benefit  of  their  experience.  One  reply  is  given  below  almost 
in  full  and  is  typical  of  all : 

“To  my  mind  the  whole  problem  rests  on  the  question 
whether  there  is  someone  in  the  charge  with  the  determina¬ 
tion  to  go  ahead.  Our  success  in  rural  charges  has  been  limited 
to  those  which  have  had  pastors  who  would  push.  And 
when  there  have  been  changes  of  pastors,  charges  that  before 
could  not  get  a  class  promptly  organized  one,  sometimes 
two  or  three;  and  charges  which  the  year  before  had  them 
were  not  able  to  get  another  under  the  new  administration. 
The  problem,  therefore,  is  the  problem  of  the  man. 

“We  did  our  work  by  holding  in  the  fall  a  series  of  group 
meetings  and  pushing  mission  study.  Then  a  man,  and 

18 


■usually  he  was  one  who  had  been  at  the  summer  Conference, 
was  put  in  charge  of  a  group.  He  kept  in  touch  with  each 
charge  by  letter,  and  on  call  went  to  the  charge  and  organized 
the  class  for  them.  He  prevailed  on  our  District  Superinten¬ 
dent  to  ask  about  the  study  classes  at  the  Quarterly  Confer¬ 
ences.  We  always  had  a  place  on  the  program  at  the  district 
Conferences.  We  kept  the  officers  deluged  with  literature. 
We  made  mission  study  a  topic  of  conversation  every  time 
there  was  any  sort  of  preachers’  meeting.  In  a  word,  we  had 
the  banner  floating  everywhere,  always  avoiding  becoming 
obnoxious.  Every  year  we  found  a  man  or  two  who  had 
possibilities  undeveloped  and  paid  part  of  his  expenses  to 
go  to  the  summer  Conference.  (He  always  came  back  an 
enthusiast.)  Yet  with  all  that  we  got  classes  in  only  about 
half  the  charges.  Of  those  who  failed  us,  the  pastors  were  of 
two  kinds:  i.  Those  who  have  but  the  thought  to  get  their 
meager  salary.  2.  Those  who  have  not  caught  the  vision. 
These  we  will  get  to  the  summer  Conference  as  rapidly  as 
possible. 

“The  next  thing  is  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  numbers  are 
not  essential  to  success.  Two  families  or  three  near  together 
can  group  themselves  and  make  a  class.  Probably  all  this 
class  can  do  will  be  to  carefully  read  the  text  book  and  discuss 
it  among  themselves.  Not  one  of  them  will  know  enough 
about  missions  to  make  him  competent  as  an  instructor. 

“All  that  can  be  done  is  to  push,  push,  push!  And  then 
get  others  to  push  with  you,  and  the  District  Superintendent 
is  always  a  great  help  there.” 

Another  worker  closes  his  letter  with  the  same  idea,  but 
expressed  in  a  more  original  way:  “Mission  study  is  like  a 
lawn  mower  and  has  to  be  pushed.” 

A  third  worker’s  summing  up  puts  the  whole  matter  in  a 
very  definite  form:  “In  summing  up,  I  would  say  that  three 
things  are  necessary:  A  person  in  each  locality  fired  for 
missionary  service;  a  promoter  to  visit  when  needed;  and 
institutes  brought  to  these  workers  or  workers  taken  to  in¬ 
stitutes  to  catch  fresh  zeal.” 

We  do  not  know  of  a  district  where  any  large  success  in 
mission  study  has  been  attained  except  by  use  of  one  or 
more  of  these  methods.  Missionary  educational  work  is  so 
new  in  character  and  so  little  understood  that  long  and 
careful  training  will  be  necessary  before  great  success  can  be 

19 


attained.  There  need  not,  however,  be  a  discouraging  note. 
Success  has  been  attained  in  many  places  and  will  be  in 
many  more.  The  new  district  organization  gives  promise 
of  larger  possibilities.  Nothing  succeeds  like  success.  Faith 
in  God  and  an  undaunted  perseverance  will  bring  no  defeat. 

Correspondence 

As  already  intimated,  the  Young  People’s  Missionary  De¬ 
partment  invites  correspondence  in  connection  with  any 
phase  of  missionary  work  among  young  people.  The  Depart¬ 
ment  has  been  organized  by  the  Home  and  Foreign  Boards 
for  this  purpose  and  should  be  used  to  the  utmost  by  all 
missionary  workers,  especially  those  in  district  offices.  Ad¬ 
dress  the  Young  People’s  Missionary  Department,  150  Fifth 
Avenue,  New  York  city. 


20 


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